The present invention is directed toward an apparatus and method for automatically accessing both sides of an optical disk retrieved from a linear stack of optical disks.
Data of various types is recorded on and accessed from optical disks. Common optical disks include compact disks (CDs), CD-ROMs, digital versatile disks (DVDs), digital video disks (also abbreviated DVDs), or other similar disks. Some optical disks, such as DVDs, may be either single-sided or dual-sided. With conventional optical disk changers, a dual-sided optical disk must be manually xe2x80x9cflippedxe2x80x9d between sides in order to read data from both sides of the disk.
Three general types of optical disk changers capable of storing and reading multiple disks are known. In the first type, a number of disks are positioned coplanar to one another and radially about a center rotation point on a carrousel. To read any one disk, the carrousel is rotated until the desired disk is positioned adjacent to the disk reader. To read another disk, the present disk is disengaged from the reader and the carrousel is rotated to position another disk adjacent to the disk reader. However, such optical disk changers read only one side of a disk. Thus, operator intervention is required to flip the disk to allow the disk reader to read the opposite side of the disk.
The second type of multiple disk changer stores optical disks radially about a center rotation point on a carrousel, but with the rotational axis of each optical disk perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the carrousel. The resulting geometry of the plurality of stored disks is a toroid or xe2x80x9cdonutxe2x80x9d shape. A disk from the carrousel is read by ejecting the disk from the carrousel into a disk reader.
The third type of multiple disk changer stores optical disks in a stack with the center of each disk coaxial with the centers of the other disks. A disk to be read is rotated or translated out from the stack and engaged by a disk reader. Just as with the first type of multiple disk changer, the changer can read only one side of a disk unless the disk is manually flipped by a user. Examples of this third type of multiple disk changer are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,208, 5,099,465, 5,153,862, 5,561,657, 5,682,364, and 5,692,878. However, these changers are only capable of reading one side of the optical disk unless the user manually flips the disk.
Therefore, although the prior art is capable of storing a large number of optical disks, the prior art does not provide an apparatus or method for reading both sides of a optical disk without manual operator intervention. Consequently, there is a need for an apparatus and method for automatically reading both sides of an optical disk by effectively flipping a dual-sided disk.
One embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer for reading a first and a second side of an optical disk. The disk changer includes: a base; a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; a transfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to said base for loading a disk from said disk bin and positioning the disk to be read; and an optical disk reader attached to said base for loading a disk from said transfer mechanism and reading the disk.
Another embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer for reading a first and a second side of an optical disk comprising: a base; a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; and an optical disk reader slidably and rotatably coupled to said base for loading a disk from said disk bin, reading the disk, and returning the disk to said disk bin.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer for reading a first and a second side of an optical disk comprising: a base; a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; a transfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to said base for loading a disk from said disk bin and positioning the disk to be read; and an optical disk reader slidably coupled to said base for loading a disk from said transfer mechanism and reading the disk.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from an optical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a bin; delivering the optical disk from the bin to a transfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a first direction; delivering the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to an optical disk reader by translating the optical disk in a first direction; reading data from a first side of the optical disk; delivering the optical disk to the transfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a second direction; rotating the transfer mechanism about a vertical axis; loading the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to the optical disk reader by translating the optical disk in the first direction; and reading data from a second side of the optical disk.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of translating an optical disk having a first side and a second side comprising: holding the optical disk in a disk bin; if data from a first side of the optical disk is to be read, then translating the optical disk to a first location in a first direction; and if data from a second side of the optical disk is to be read, then translating the optical disk to a second location in the first direction, rotating the optical disk, and translating the optical disk to the first location in the first direction.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from an optical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a disk bin; if data from a first side of the optical disk is to be read, delivering the optical disk through a first side of an optical disk reader, and reading the data; and if data from a second side of the optical disk is to be read, rotating the optical disk reader, delivering the optical disk through a second side of the optical disk reader, and reading the data.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from an optical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a bin; delivering the optical disk from the bin to a transfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a first direction; delivering the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to an optical disk reader by translating the optical disk in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; reading data from a first side of the optical disk; delivering the optical disk to the transfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a second direction substantially parallel with the first direction; rotating the transfer mechanism about a vertical axis; loading the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to the optical disk reader by translating the optical disk in the third direction; and reading data from a second side of the optical disk.